For my wet plate collodion project, I decided to play on how photography was (and still is) a huge tool for spiritualism and paranormal investigation. As someone who is a ghost believer but skeptic of most photographic "proof" of ghosts, I thought it would be kind of humorous to go for a classic sheet ghost figure. And, of course, the added bonus of a ghost dog, Cider, who has shed his ghost sheet momentarily to share his fluffiness with the world. (AKA Cider did not enjoy having a sheet put on him, but he's still absolutely adorable.) I photographed on a one second exposure in order to capture some swaying and give the figure a nice blur effect... and Cider was miraculously still.
The elements I incorporated in order to give this image a wet plate feel were two borders appropriated from LOC images (here and here.) I also drew inspiration from how photographers would write on the glass plates with the date and/or notes about the photo. As photographers these days, we don't often get our signature directly on the photograph (it's usually underneath or on the back) so I decided to take advantage of that. The last element I wanted to incorporate, besides the blotches/blemishes of chemistry, was the cracked glass. I think it adds an interesting dynamic/aesthetic to the overall image.
Julien Pozo - Zoe Turner - Critique for “Old is New Again” Project
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the wet plate collodion piece by Zoe Turner, dubbed “I’ve seen a Ghost,” I believe it to be a very well done piece to mimic the classic wet plate photographic process. Not only is the chosen subject creating an overall visually interesting piece, being rewarded the more you look throughout the piece. Additionally I think that each element such as the setting of the woods accentuating and planting the ghost like character; as if the subject was meant to be there. The paranormal subject and the setting complement each other. The ghost dog adds a little comedic relief to somewhat dumb down the seriousness of the usual mood derived from a paranormal type subject.
Additionally, the acquired assets from a piece from the Library of Congress really dates the final product as it provides the necessary information to accentuate the wet plate process. Being able to frame the more center focused subject within the composition with the acquired assets works well. The additional brushwork and the crack also further creates the illusion of this wet plate photographic process. I also think that in a way reducing editing by shooting with a one second exposure to mimic the natural blur that the wet plate process often features helped streamline the process and create a much more natural representation of the process.
I can’t personally make a concrete observation on the color, although to me it looks black and white and so I believe that it properly reflects the colorless process often found in wet plates, aside from the usual Sepia tone often found on some pieces. The reason I can’t make a concrete comment is due to me being colorblind so any advice may not be beneficial. I think the tone and texture created through brushwork and possibly adjustment layers really helped validate the wet plate mimicry and was very effective. The white vignette doesn’t necessarily feel in place as much as the other aspects of the image. I feel that Zoe may have been attempting to mimic the fogginess often found in some wet plate pieces however here the white vignette feels a little lackluster ain reinforcing this piece and would have benefitted from being more of brushwork filling in the frame and being masked and reduced to some extent to mimic a more fogginess like effect. However, aside from that, it's pretty solid!
Overall, I believe that it very much reflects a very paranormal theme as the settings, subjects, and effects used in the shooting process really helped create a visually appealing and believable wet plate collodion photography. There are some areas that can be refined or improved upon but I don’t believe that Zoe had done anything incorrectly but rather could have improved or changed some ways in which she did approach some aspects of the image. I don’t believe there to be a very symbolic or very deep meaning to the image since she does state it’s simply to mimic a very paranormal themed subject and setting and so therefore I believe it to be very straightforward and a very well done and fun piece!